ENDANGERED SPECIES CONDOMS HAVE REACHED HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE

Since 2009 more than half a million condoms have been handed out by thousands of volunteers in all 50 states and several countries. The condoms have been distributed at environmental festivals, farmers’ markets, yoga studios, zoos, concerts, health clinics, churches and college campuses. Check out some highlights from past events.

EARTH DAY 44

In April 2014 more than 500 volunteers in all 50 states handed out more than 44,000 condoms to mark the anniversary of the first Earth Day and to bring the focus back to population issues, where the celebration first started 44 years ago.

From Tucson to San Francisco and Dallas to Baltimore, volunteers were out at festivals and events talking to attendees about human population growth and endangered species. Other volunteers held smaller events at their college campuses or even in their homes.

Here are just a few of the many great pictures we received:

Are you holding an event and want to talk about population issues? Check out our toolkit page with downloadable resources and our colorful, condoms poster.

SHARING THE LOVE ON VALENTINE'S DAY, 2014

Valentine's Day gorilla. Photo by Sarah Erickson.

What better day than Valentine's Day to spread a message of love while speaking out about human population growth and endangered species protection?

Endangered Species Volunteers in cities voted the most romantic North American getaways handed out condoms at their local town squares, bars, and Valentine’s Day themed parties, urging people to share the love with wildlife and start the conversation about how runaway human population growth affects endangered species around the globe.

CONDOMS HELP CELEBRATE EARTH DAY 2013

On Earth Day 2013 the Center for Biological Diversity celebrated endangered species at 20 events in 13 states across the country. More than 15,000 condoms were distributed in colorful packages featuring species threatened by unsustainable human population growth, including the Florida panther and leatherback sea turtle. Events included a diversity of celebrations at parks, zoos, farmers' markets, college and university campuses and more.

And check out some of the Endangered Species Condoms Earth Day activities below.

Hellbender Featured at Purdue University Event

Purdue University students hand out condoms at campus Earth Day event. Photo courtesy Wesley Homoya.

Many people aren’t familiar with the hellbender, but North America’s largest amphibian got plenty of attention at Purdue University on Earth Day 2013. Two biology professors and eight activists took to campus with a hellbender costume and bright signs to distribute 2,000 Endangered Species Condoms. Their creative event got lots of attention, including news coverage in the Indianapolis Star.

Filmmaker Dave Gardner took his Endangered Species Condoms and his film crew out to talk to people about the best ways to be green — and how they can help save the polar bear in the bedroom. Dave is the director of the 2011 documentary Growthbusters: Hooked on Growth, a movie about our culture’s unsustainable addiction to growth, covering topics from the economy to population. Watch his entertaining Growthbusters video to see how his Earth Day conversations went — and to get ideas on how you can approach the topic with other people.

The Condom Packages

FLORIDA PANTHER
A predator of enormous physical grace and power, the Florida panther is one of the most majestic large felines in the wild. But while Florida’s human population has nearly doubled over the past 30 years and the coasts have become more crowded, development has increasingly moved inland, coming into direct conflict with panthers and the habitat they need to survive and thrive.

DWARF SEAHORSE
This inch-tall, curly-tailed fish occurs only in shallow seagrass areas in the Gulf of Mexico, along the Atlantic Coast of Florida and in the Caribbean. Unfortunately, as the Gulf gets more crowded and industrialized, this seahorse faces more threats to its existence. Widespread loss of seagrass habitat due to pollution, boat damage and global warming is pushing this minuscule creature to the brink.

Learn more about the dwarf seahorse and the Center's work for this animal.

HELLBENDER
Hellbenders may not be pretty, but at 2 feet long, they’re North America’s largest amphibian. Like many amphibians, the hellbender faces extinction from the strain that the effects of human population (including pollution) put on our freshwater streams in the southeastern United States.

Learn more about the hellbender and the Center's work for this animal.

WESTERN SNOWY PLOVER
The western snowy plover, a pocket-sized shorebird, is surviving against the odds. Its habitat of open, sandy beaches is prime target for increasingly destructive human activity. Being small doesn’t prevent plovers from playing a big role in beach ecosystems, but it does make them vulnerable to the unnatural disturbances that plague their home.

LEATHERBACK SEA TURTLE
As ancient as the dinosaurs, the leatherback sea turtle is the heaviest reptile on Earth. Leatherback turtles are dependent on seashores for their lifecycle. With half the world’s human population living within 100 miles of the coastline, their nesting grounds are severely threatened by development.

POLAR BEAR
An international icon of global warming, the polar bear is going extinct as the Arctic sea ice melts beneath its feet because of the greenhouse gas emissions of 7 billion people — especially those in high-consumption nations like the United States. The bear was put on the U.S. endangered species list in 2008.